Monday, September 18, 2017

Easy Lunch Meal Prep| Sriracha Chicken Bowl

Healthy. Easy. Delicious. That is exactly what this bowl is. This meal prep recipe is inspired by Love and Olive Oil's buddha bowl creation. My husband introduced and made many of these bowls for me this time last year when I was struggling to keep my head above the water working outside of the home at a nonprofit. Working while breastfeeding and pumping around the clock, raising an infant, lots of meetings all over town, community organizing, late nights grant writing and maintaining my relationships with the other people I love in my life really challenged and wore me down. Something as simple as having healthy food options that were affordable and grab-and-go style were so clutch for me.

Once the ingredients are prepped, they are easy to distribute to individual containers and stored in the fridge for a few days. I am actually enjoying one of my bowls right now as I write. This meal prep bowl is so well-rounded with protein, healthy fats, and complex carbs. The flavor is amazing and refreshing. One of the special ingredients used in this recipe is black rice which is a fun unique varietal that provides additional Vitamin E to help with immune support in addition to skin and eye health. See Dr. Axe's article for more information on the benefits of black rice. More details and recipe are below!

Preparation: Bring 1 and 1/2 cups of water to a boil and add black rice. Let cook for about 20 minutes until soft yet still firm. Cook edamame according to package instructions. While rice is cooking, mix all vinaigrette ingredients together well. The vinaigrette is the real source of flavor in this recipe. No extra salt is needed outside of what the vinaigrette provides.

Some may prefer to massage the kale with oil or rice vinegar to tenderize it and make it easier to chew. I think Dino kale is quite nice and palatable as is and so I prefer not to do this; but it is an option and a nice idea. Portion cooked rice, kale, cooked edamame, cubed chicken, cucumbers and sliced avocado into individual bowls. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top for a nice aesthetic. Pour 2 tablespoons of vinaigrette atop of bowl when ready to eat and Enjoy!